The Legend of Nazo
by tiacat11
Summary: When an unexpected vistor shows up at Sonic's door asking for his help, Sonic and his pals find themselves allied with the person they'd least expect. But when they are called to battle, just who is a friend? Title and summary subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**Are you all amazed to see me again? I know, I know you're absolutely thrilled-huh? You say you're not thrilled? Come again? You wish I would just quit it already and not drag everybody through another one of my stories? Well, geez, thanks a lot! *Grumble grumble* Do you know how long I worked on this? Do you? What? Too long? Ok, now you're just being mean! To be absolutely honest, I wasn't even going to post this until a _lot _later. I wanted it either done or almost done before I published because I don't know what direction we're going with this one. Seriously. It could be anywhere. Like I said, I wasn't going to post until I knew for sure it was going to work out, but then I was reading my Facebook horiscope (don't judge me, ok?) and it was like, "The thing you have procastinated on for many a night will bring you great joy if you complete it today, noble aquarius!" Now, who am I to argue with the great power of a Facebook horiscope app? So, I post. Don't know when chapter 2 will be posted (it's done), Don't know when chapter 3 will be posted (almost done), but chapter 1 is being posted now.**

**Just as the hardest sentence to write in a paper is the first one, the hardest chapter to upload in a fanfiction is indeed the first. Anyway, I was doing some youtubing years ago, and I came across the mysterious character Nazo. After learning pretty much all there is to know about him, I more or less forgot him. Until today. The one thing I notice whenever I see him featured in fanworks (even though some are amazing, I'm not bashing,) is that he's always the bad guy. Nazo always struck me as more of a good guy. But, whatever, up to you. I wanted to see him featured as an ally for once, so I am writing a story on him. Enjoy, and please, please, PLEASE review!**

* * *

Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough.  
**George Bernard Shaw**

_Hurrying as fast as he could without outright running, the hedgehog strode past once-white marble walls and decaying fancy rugs. He was apparently in some sort of palace, but no palace quite like this one had ever been constructed. The hedgehog rushed past beautiful intricately constructed stained glass windows without so much as a side glance; the windows may be more interesting if light ever shone though them. Wonderfully crafted statues and paintings worth millions stood every ten feet or so, covered in so much dust it seemed they had not been touched in hundreds of years. They hadn't, to the best of the hedgehog's knowledge._

_Hurrying even faster, it was all he could do not to run. The strange maze of a palace did not seem to faze him at all; he navigated the corridors as though he had lived here all his life. He had had a long life, and plenty of time to memorize the room he was heading to now._

_Drawing near to the door, the hedgehog felt an emotion somewhat strange to him, a sort of tingling in his lower stomach that made him want to turn and run. Fear. He had been moving at a fairly brisk pace before, but slowed as he came nearer. All he could do was stare at the figures carved on the door. Many of them he could not identify, so he stared at the one he could: a carving of a dragon, most of it cloaked in clouds, making it difficult to tell what kind of dragon it was. The dragon was a charcoal black, and its face was carved so that no matter where someone stood, it would appear to them it was looking directly at them. Its face hovered just above the door handle, as if to give the hedgehog even more reason to want to delay passing through._

_The hedgehog stopped with his hand on the handle, swallowing. This was it. Time to face the music. The hedgehog twisted the handle and swung the door open wide. Walking up next to another sapient he glanced sideways at it and was given the strangest impression of looking into a mirror. This made sense, as the two were identical twins. The fact that their outfits were almost identical as well did not help dispel the illusion. Their appearances weren't the only things the same. In each other's eyes, they could see their own fear reflected. The fear of the room's third occupant._

_As if he had read their minds, the third occupant chose then to speak. "Vicus! Tractus! What news do you have?"_

_The twins, who both jumped when they were addressed, quickly lowered their heads respectfully. One of them stepped forward. "Master." He murmured. "Your contact has done well in his side of the bargain. Already he is almost completed with the task Master has set for him. There is just one thing…"_

_The third occupant, who had relaxed with a purr when he heard the good news, suddenly clenched. The third occupant could have once been mistaken for a hedgehog, just like the brothers, but now no one could make such a fatal error. "One thing?" his voice was deadly. Swallowing, he wished he could turn to his brother for just a little encouragement, but doing so would be unforgivable. Instead, he mustered his courage and forged ahead._

"_Master's contact wishes for you to do him one small thing to prove Master's power. A-a trifle, really. I could easily-"_

_The third occupant raised his hand, silencing the hedgehog immediately. "I did not ask for your assessment of the request, Tractus. I asked you what it was."_

_Tractus bowed even lower. "Master's contact wishes for you…to take the life of a boy."_

_The third occupant laughed, a short bark, but there wasn't a hint of humor in his voice. "A _boy? _This is what he wishes me to do? How would this prove my power to him? Unless…"_

_The third occupant suddenly stiffened, an odd look in his eyes. Both brothers tensed immediately, and prepared to defend themselves. The third occupant only got that look when he suspected treachery. And when he suspected treachery, blood would be spilt._

"_Unless the boy is holy." He breathed. "Perhaps it is a trap…"_

_There was a very long pause, with the brothers nervously trying to think of a thing to say that was guaranteed not to get their master angry somehow. Neither of them could think of one, and it was the third occupant who spoke once again and ended the silence._

"_Perhaps not. After all, he has no reason to fear…no indication of my true power…he'll do as I say first, and then I am free to dispose of him…yes…Vicus!"_

_Vicus nodded nervously. "Yes, Master?"_

_His mouth grew into a wicked grin. "Our time here is almost up. Make the necessary preparations."_

_Vicus couldn't stop a small gasp. "But Master…! Surely you don't mean…?"_

_Their master was in too much of a good mood to worry about his breach in protocol. Luckily. "I _do _mean, Vicus. Get it done! Tractus!"_

_Tractus stepped forward once more. "Yes, Master?"_

"_The rest of the job will finish itself, I believe." He purred, then paused. "…Dispose of the contact. I do not need him any longer."_

_Tractus nodded and then hesitated. "…Master?"_

"_Yes, Tractus?"_

"_What of the boy? Shall we let him live?"_

"_Hmm…" the third occupant considered this for a moment. "Well, it would just be a waste of time and energy…and he will not be able to stop us…" Suddenly, he clapped his hands in delight. "Oh, let's just kill him anyway!"_

_Tractus nodded in surprise. "Err…yes, Master."_

_The third occupant settled back into his chair with his eyes closed in content. One eye peeped open. "Oh yes, and boys?"_

_The brothers nodded as one. "Yes, Master?"_

"_I want no…mistakes…as it were. Not when we're so close to the goal, eh?" He smiled insanely._

_Vicus nodded. "Of course, Master. All will be completed on time, exactly as Master ordered it."_

_Tractus chimed in as well. "And I can assure Master the contact and the hedgehog boy will not survive the encounter."_

_He should have kept silent in retrospect, as the third occupant suddenly shot to his feet, power shooting up around him as though he were on fire. "__**Hedgehog!**__"_

_Tractus swallowed, accidentally taking a step back. "M-m-master!"_

_It was too late, their Master already too far gone. The light of suspected treachery that had left his eyes without resistance just a few minutes ago had returned with a vengeance. "So," he whispered, taking a step towards the unfortunate hedgehog. "So," he continued, "You tried to trick me, did you? Thought you could outsmart me, did you? Thought, maybe, your master wouldn't notice? Wanted your master's power for yourself! Well, you can't have it! It's mine! __**It'll always be mine!**__" _

_He practically screamed the last sentence, insanity consuming his thoughts. Tractus was on his knees now, trembling all over. "N-n-no! Tractus wishes to serve Master! Master's p-power is all Master's!"_

_The third occupant simmered, his sudden tantrum cooling just as quickly as it came. "Yes…" he murmured. "You are right, Tractus. You _do _wish only to serve, and it _is _all mine. However," At this he smirked. "Flattery can only save you so many times, Tractus."_

"_Yes Master." The hedgehog on the ground tried to get the words out as quickly as he could, wondering what on earth his fatal mistake could have been this time. Was the boy's species really all that important? Apparently so. He didn't dare ask the question he wanted to ask, but he also couldn't leave until he knew the answer. Thankfully, Vicus bravely stepped up for him._

"_Master, what shall we do with the hedgehog boy? Shall we kill him still?"_

"_No." he rasped. "No, we shall not. We need this one alive. For now. However," He was smiling again. "That doesn't mean we can't have a little fun with him…Tractus, I want you to deliver a message for me…"_

_Both hedgehogs glanced simultaneously at one another, then back to their shared master, a nervous look in their eyes. Neither of them could ever dare say aloud what thoughts were running though their heads._

* * *

Sonic awoke with a yawn, stretched out in his bed. Closing his eyes and letting himself relax just a little bit longer before having to get up out of bed, he tried to think back and remember his dream. Something about a psycho with anger management issues who was planning on killing someone…

"Okay, okay," He said with a laugh. "I get it, Subconscious. No more scary movies before bed."

Casually, he threw the covers off his figure so he could swing his legs over the side of the bed and headed towards the bathroom to take a shower. As he leaned over to turn the water on in the faucet, he tried to think if he had anything planned for today. It was Sunday, so Cream and Vanilla would be at church…Amy said she was working on her house…Knuckles would be doing the usual, so no fun there…Tails wasn't doing anything important to the best of his knowledge…nope. Schedule clean. Awesome. He could go for a run or something.

The water finished heating up, and he stepped inside. He took some shampoo off the built-in shelf and scrubbed all over. His run yesterday through the swamp had _not _been a good idea. But, oh well. Totally worth it when he sent mud flying all the way up into Faker's face. He rinsed off the last of the shampoo, then turned the water off and stepped out, grabbing a towel as he did so. Rubbing himself dry, he headed downstairs for breakfast.

He leaned into the refrigerator, craving something, but unsure what exactly it was.

Causally, he draped the towel around his shoulders so that his hands were free and grabbed a few eggs out of the refrigerator. Cracking them skillfully, he put them in a skillet and set it on the stove. Pulling two slices of bread out, he set them in the toaster and grabbed the butter, setting it on the table. An old song came to him out of the blue, and he hummed along as he prepared his breakfast. The toast popped up and he caught it before it even bounced back down into the toaster.

Tapping his foot in time with imaginary music, he grabbed a spatula and started turning the eggs.

Just as he was getting to the chorus, the phone rang. Still keeping time, he grabbed the phone off its charger and cradled it between shoulder and cheek as he went back to flipping the eggs. "Hello?"

"….Sonic the hedgehog?"

Sonic recognized the voice immediately. "No, Knuckles, it's some other super fast, super cool savior of the world."

"Oh, sorry, Shadow." Knuckles said innocently.

"Shadow! Really? Super fast maybe, but _definitely _not super cool! And what the heck? I've saved the world more times than him!"

"He might not be super cool, but he's still cooler than you."

"You're the one who can't even remember his own best friend's phone number," The blue hedgehog retorted, "Even when it's programmed into your phone!"

"No! Shut up! You have no idea of the nightmare I've been though trying to call you this morning! _Why _you and Tails wanted me to have this stupid thing is beyond me!"

Sonic laughed. "Problems, huh?"

"You better believe it. The humans made the buttons on this thing so _tiny! _I tried calling you and ended up dialing a physiatrist in Sweden!"

Sonic laughed so hard at this he almost lost the phone. "Wow."

"Yes, and I only called you by using a stick to dial! A _stick!" _

Now Sonic laughed so hard he did lose the phone. "Ok, ok! I get it. It was hard work reaching me. Now why did you want to reach me in the first place? I thought you were still mad."

"Well, you see…Tikal showed me something, and…"

"Oh, great. Now I have to worry about the two of you up there, alone." Sonic interrupted jokingly. While the echidna princess was indeed still sealed in the Master Emerald, she was capable of communicating with the outside world, and often offered company to Knuckles, something Sonic was greatful for.

"_Sonic!" _Knuckles shouted into the receiver, embarrassed. "That's not what I meant and you _know _it!"

"Alright, alright, jeez." Sonic answered back without skipping a beat. "What did Tikal show you then?"

Knuckles sighed, an extremely annoying sound over the phone. "I…I'm not sure if I should try to explain it over the phone. Would it be alright if I could show up at your house? I think it's a vision of the future. And a pessimistic one at that."

"Mkay. Yeah, sure. I don't care at all. You sure it's all ominous and doom, though?" Sonic finished making breakfast and piled it all onto one plate.

There was a pause on the other end. Then Knuckles answered, "I wish I could say no, seeing what I've seen. But Amy has recently informed me that as a friend I'm supposed to keep my lying under control."

"Hey," Sonic replied. He dropped his cocky attitude for a minute so Knuckles could tell he was being serious. "I know you're worried, but don't be. Whatever it is, we'll handle it. We always do. 'Sides," He began, and his voice took on his ever confident tone again, "I've been hoping for another adventure!

Knuckles groaned over the phone. "Just what we need. And of course, you always get your wish!"

Sonic laughed and hung up. His breakfast was done, and he piled it all onto one plate. He sat down and began to eat. He hadn't taken more than a few bites, though, before the phone rang again, startling Sonic. "What did you forget now, Knucklehead?" he mused to himself. Amused, he got up and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" he asked.

"_You have one week."_

"What?" Sonic asked, taken aback.

"_You have one week."_

"Knuckles?"

"_You have one week."_

"Who is this?"

There was a click and the line went dead. Sonic pulled away the receiver and stared at it, as though that could help him identify his mysterious caller. Man, he _had _to get caller's ID. He was considering getting Tails to track down the caller, if only to give a prankster a serious lesson. Still… Knuckles called warning something was about to happen, and then a creepy guy just happens to call him with essentially the same message. Something weird was going on around here.

He set the phone back down, resolving to call Tails later, and finished his breakfast. He was rinsing his plate off at the sink when there came a knock at the front door. Blinking, Sonic glanced over at the clock. It had only been about 15 minutes since Knuckles had called. He had gotten here quick. He raced over to the door and opened it without bothering to check who it was. A mistake on his part. "Jeez, that was fas-!"

Sonic froze where he was, door half open, for who stood there was definitely _not _Knuckles.

"So sorry, rodent. Were you expecting someone else?"

Sonic stared up at the silhouette blocking his view of the morning sun. "Doctor Eggman?"


	2. Chapter 2

****

**Alright, three days after I upload, I'm afraid I admit, only my second chapter story, I check my email, and wow. You guys all seem...interested. Is this not really what you were hoping for? Did you think that the first part was more vague than mysterious? Did you just not like it? I need _opinions, _not silence! I don't mean to yell, but I was almost ready to delete before _somebody _decided to review (thank you). I get worried. Also, on a completly unrelated note, I'm sorry about the short chapter, ok? Alright, whining done, read and review, sorry for it being short, I don't own Sonic...yep. Checklist complete. So... everybody get what they wanted for Christmas?**

**

* * *

**

Only enemies speak the truth; friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty.

******-Stephen King**

The first thing Sonic did was check to the left and right of Eggman, scanning quickly for any glint of metal. Nothing. A good sign. Despite the absence of an immediate threat, he pulled into a defensive stance automatically.

Doctor Eggman seemed amused at the hedgehog's distrust. "I'm not here to fight you, Rodent. I just want to talk."

The blue hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Right." He did drop out of his stance, however. "So if you're not here to kill me…what _are _you here for then? A cup of coffee?"

Eggman sighed, placing a hand over his face. "…As much as I hate to do it….I have come to request your assistance with an urgent matter that has come up."

Sonic cocked his head and asked, "What?"

Another groan from the doctor. "I need your help, rodent."

"Oh." Sonic hesitated for a second, his curiosity of what could be so bad Doctor Eggman would need to ask him for help conflicting with his natural distrust of anything the doctor said.

Finally, he stepped aside and opened the door wider. "Well…come in, then." He said a bit reluctantly. Eggman calmly stepped past into the hedgehogs house. As Sonic made to close the door behind him, he couldn't help but wonder if he shouldn't have just closed the door in his face and moved on with his morning. His dull, slow, uneventful morning. Sonic couldn't hide a small smirk. Nah.

Eggman strode through the hallway and into a combination kitchen and living room. This was actually the first time he had seen the interior before; usually the fox or the echnidna found Sonic faster than one of his messenger robots.

The kitchen was on the right, with more or less everything one would expect to find in a kitchen: refrigerator, stove, cupboards, microwave, dishwasher, and a sink with a few dishes piled into it. A swap from linoleum to navy blue carpet was the only indication of a change in rooms. The living room looked normal enough, with a pair of couches and a recliner all centered around a modest tv. In the corner, a desk with a computer and a ton of papers and books stacked on it sat untouched. The desk wasn't the only thing cluttered. The whole room was messy. "Charming place." Eggman commented aloud.

There was a sudden whooshing noice and a blue streak obscoured his view of the room. When it cleared, the room was more or less clean, with Sonic in the center holding a green jacket that had previously hung over the side of his couch. Sonic shrugged, hanging it up on a coatrack near the entrence Eggman had just walked through. "I wasn't expecting company." was his reply.

The hedgehog sat down on the one recliner, and Eggman, taking this as an invitation, seated himself on the opposite couch. Sonic crossed his arms. "Okay. We're all settled in. Now what up with this part about you needing me?"

Mentally Doctor Eggman shuffled his cards. This would have to be good, or he could lose the hedgehog's assistance. And that could be disastrous. "It all started a few months ago," He began. "I was working on my lastest breakthough in chaos energy when I received a message."

"What did the message say?"

"The message was from an anonymous address, but he claimed to be an supporter of the Eggman Empire."

"Is that even possible?"

"An anonymous address? Yes, any good hacker or spy nowadays has a-"

"No, I mean the supporter thing. Can anyone possibly _want _to be a part of the Eggman Empire?"

"Very funny, rodent."

"Just doing my job. Can't make it look like I'm paying attention, can I?"

"Now, as I was say saying," Eggman continued. "The mysterious contact wished to help me with my plans of world domination. He had heard of my discoveries in the fields of chaos energy and robotics, and wanted to improve both. Interestingly enough, he pointed me down the a study of chaos energy that I haven't pursued since the Chaos business."

"What's that?" Dispite his attempts to look bored, he was definitely interested.

"The history of chaos energy. But this time, instead of studying the ancient echidna tribes, my mysterious assistant pointed me down a different path."

"Which was…?" Sonic promted impatiently.

"Pay attention, rodent, and you might find this interesting. An ancient civilization ruled mainly by sapients." Eggman paused for effect. "Most notably, _hedgehog _sapients."

Sonic cocked an eyebrow at this. He desperately wanted to know what all this had to do with him, but if he pushed Eggman, he would take even longer to get to the point. He was a jerk that way.

"Now, obviously, nothing in life is free. The contact wanted to be a full-fledged partner, not a tipster. And, with some of the promises he was making, I have to admit, it was tempting."

"Promises?"

"If what he said in his messages to me could be taken as true, this was no simple tipster. He has – or clams to have…power. A lot of it. It was an interesting bargain. He wanted to help the Eggman empire… In exchange for my assistance in the research of his people."

"So you help him write a history paper and he makes you ruler of the world? Not likely."

"In essence, yes, I suppose that was the deal. Interestingly enough, my research more revolved around gathering artifacts than using those artifacts to discover anything new."

"These artifacts…"

"Yes?"

"What did they…Do, exactly?"

Eggman gave him a look. "You've been watching too much Indiana Jones, boy. The artifacts don't _do _anything. They are valuable because they give information on a civilization hundreds, even thousands of years before our time. If you ever bothered to crack open a book, you might know that."

Sonic threw up his hands in a "back off" gesture. "Ok, ok. Geez, it was just a question. Speaking of questions, here's the million dollar one – What's all this got to do with me?" He had an inkling, but he wanted Eggman to say it to be sure.

Before Doctor Eggman could respond, however, there was a shout from the front hall, followed closely by a blur of red as Knuckles burst into the room, leaping over Sonic's chair and between the two of them. Knuckles threw his arm back, aiming a punch at Eggman.


	3. Chapter 3

**Oi. I need some love over here. My brain does not want to work, I'm tired as all heck, I can't seem to get anything done, and I seem to be somewhat snappier lately. Don't we all love being a teenager? Speaking of which, to my fellow highschoolers out there, raise your hand if you, too, are about to fail an important assignment! :D Alright, at least I'm not alone. I really don't know where this story is going, and I'm trying very hard over here, but I can't seem to make it _flow! _So I may end up putting this on hiatus. I most likely won't scrapp it, mind you, because for all it's faults, I am somewhat proud of this story, but I might need time to get it in order. Not that I haven't taken time already, mind you. I do feel bad about how much I procrastinated on this one. But look, It's kinda long, see? *Bricked* Yeah, I know... Anyway, I'm thinking about naming my chapters, 'cuz I think it's cool, so if you have suggestions, just like everything else, _tell me! _I love seeing reviews from you guys! Even when I'm not updating, I'm on almost every day, so I promise I'll see you around! Until then, please, read and review!**

**And if anyone can tell me the two different references hidden in this chapter (one obvious, the other so ridiculously obscure I don't think anyone will ever catch it, no matter how many times you read it), you win 500 points! And my love and affection. Just saying. **

* * *

People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.  
**Thomas Sowell**

Amazingly, it was Sonic who came to Doctor Eggman's rescue, shooting out of his chair and between him and Knuckles, and catching the punch in his hand. "Hey, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, Knuckles! It's okay, man, it's okay!"

Knuckles stared in surprise. "Sonic? What the-? What's going on here? What's _he_"(jerking a thumb at Eggman) "Doing here?"

"Kinda a long story. _Really _long when Eggman tells it. But he says he needs help."

Knuckles glanced from Sonic to Eggman a couple times. "…With what?"

"We haven't gotten that far yet." Sonic replied with a slight eye roll. Something told Knuckles he was had not been happy with the pace of conversation.

Knuckles then decided it was time to get some answers. If there was one thing he hated, it was looking like an idiot. Grabbing Sonic by the arm, he turned and led him into another hallway, this one leading to the other rooms of the house. Annoyed, Sonic tugged his arm out of his grip, but stayed by him.

"Explanation." Was all the Echidna said.

Quickly, Sonic did his best to recap what had happened after he hung up with Knuckles, omitting the strange phone call, and ending with Eggman's weird request. Knuckles stared for a few minutes.

"Let me get this straight." He began. "Our worst enemy, the very one you have despised and loathed for ten years shows up at your doorstep asking for help, and you just let him in and agree to help him without any clue or idea what you are going to do for him?"

"Well, I haven't actually agreed yet, but that's the idea, yes." Sonic replied. "I'm guessing you're not going to risk your neck helping him?"

To Sonic's surprise, Knuckles broke out in a wide grin. "Not going to come along? Of _course _I am!"

"Huh?" Sonic asked, confused.

"Don't you get it?" Knuckles asked excitedly. "If we all come along and help him, and he double crosses us, then it'll be _you _who was the one to trust him! Not me! That way, I won't be the only one to ever be tricked by him!"

For a second Sonic simply stared at him. Then a grin slowly broke. "You're nuts." He informed him factually. "But, I'm glad I won't have to do it alone."

Knuckles simply nodded and walked back into the room where Eggman was waiting impatiently. "Done with your secret meeting?" He asked, a bit sarcastically.

Knuckles took the question at face value. "Yes," he answered, nodding. "And, I volunteer too."Eggman gave him a questioning look, and he laughed. "What? You think we're just gonna let you waltz in here and depart with our best friend and no one will do anything about it? Oh, no. We're a team! When you ask for one, you'll get them all!"

Doctor Eggman gave a curt nod, cracking a small smile. "Fair enough." He answered. "Do you have any way to contact them all?"

This was answered by a "pshh" sound from Sonic. "Do I have any way to contact them?" He mimicked. "Does he think we're amateurs?" His left hand pulled back his glove on the right to reveal a small device about the size of a wristwatch. Calmly he hit a small red button on the device, most likely Tails' doing. An urgent, rapid beeping filled the air, which Knuckles turned off by hitting a button on his matching device. The top panel slid up, revealing a tiny screen. By craning his neck, Eggman could just make out the words, _"Emergency meeting, Sonic."_

"Fascinating. He murmured, memorizing the tidbit of info on the spot. "About how long will it take for your friends to arrive here in order to brief them?" He said aloud.

"Only about 15 minutes or so." Knuckles answered, followed by a groan from Sonic.

"_More_ waiting?" He complained. "Oh, come on! At this rate, I'll _never _learn what the heck this thing is all about!"

Eggman hid a grin behind a copy of the day's newspaper. Small victories. "I was going to tell you, but if your friends are all coming over, I'd rather wait. I hate having to repeat myself."

With another groan, Sonic turned to the pile of dishes in the sink. It may have been just Knuckles' imagination, but he could swear he heard Sonic mutter, "The way he loves to hear himself talk, you'd think he would."

Knuckles just rolled his eyes at his friend's impatience and went to raid his fridge. He'd hate to admit it, but he could almost sympathize with him. This was going to be a long 15 minutes.

* * *

Amy was currently hard at work on her house, painting a room she had meant to be getting to for quite a while now. She hadn't quite figured out what it was going to be yet. She thought maybe a nice study room, or perhaps a guest room. It may well turn back to its original purpose of storing the boxes of useless junk Amy never got around to getting rid of.

It would have been easy to tell what colors she was using just by looking at her. White finger prints signaled the primer she had used yesterday, while a combination of lilac and dark purple smears betrayed today's agenda. A true fashonista like Amy would never wear her favorite clothes in a dirty job like this, so she was dressed in a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt, with a stained apron over it.

She had just finished half of the first wall and was peeling off the protective tape from around the windows when a sudden beeping started up. With a sigh, she put down her wad of tape and hustled out, searching for the source. Glancing around, she finally identified it as coming from the counter, where her communicator lay.

She grabbed it, feeling slightly worried. This wasn't a cell phone, as Tails had lectured multiple times. If someone pushed the button, they had better either be in trouble or were planning to be. So what was the emergency?

Closing the device and strapping it back around her wrist where it belonged, she quickly began to think as she headed towards the bedroom to change into presentable clothes. If the message was from Sonic, there would be no reason she couldn't take just a minute to look cute for him, right? Then she would be required to pick up Cream. Today was Sunday, which meant the Rabbits were most likely in church. So, just run down there, pick up Cream, head to Sonic's house, and apologize to Vanilla later.

* * *

"But it's _true!"_

"No it's not! You're a liar!"

6-year-old Cream the Rabbit and her chao Cheese had been though a lot together. Whether they were fighting for the fate of the world, touring the globe at supersonic speed, or brushing elbows with some of the most famous people alive, Cream's accomplishments were sure to make her the envy of all her peers.

That is, if said peers ever believed her.

The young girl faced down her churchyard bully with defiance and said, "It is _so _true! I really _have _met Sonic the hedgehog! And as a matter of fact, he's a very good friend of mine! I'm friends with _all _the Sonic Heroes, even Knuckles said he likes me!"

Her adversary, a Dog of an unidentifiable breed, was just a year or two older than her, but he still took pride in pushing down the "little kids."

"You're lying! That's a _sin_!" He mocked her. _The _one _bible lesson he ever actually paid attention to_, Cream thought, exasperated.

"I'm _not _lying! Mister Sonic even babysits me, all the time! And Miss Amy plays house with me whenever she comes over! We pretend we're sisters, and Cheese is our baby, and-!"

"_Wa ha ha ha ha! _Cheese is your _Baby! _How the heck does a Rabbit and a Hedgehog make a Chao? Even your _dreams _don't make any sense! And if you're sisters? Ew!"

"We just pretend," Cream continued quieter, but still trying to be brave. "Me and Amy-"

"Did you say Amy? Like, _the _Amy? Isn't she like, Sonic's girlfriend?" Another kid, this one a tan meercat about nine or ten, had heard the fight and come over to watch. He was joined by his best friend, a monkey sapient colored a deep brown.

"Well, sort of." Cream answered. "You see, Mr. Sonic doesn't act like he likes her like that, but Miss Amy says he's just being shy, and that he really loves her."

"Huh." The meercat shrugged, Cream not having any proof, but also not as belligerent as the dog.

The monkey looked curiously at her, adjusting his fully round glasses. "If you're such good friends like you say, why do you call them 'Mr.' and 'Mrs.'?"

"Miss," Cream corrected. "And it's because Momma says it's a term of respect. I actually think they wouldn't mind if I just called them Sonic and Amy, but I don't want to be rude."

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," The Dog snapped, apparently annoyed at the attention being off him, "cuz no matter what you're a liar!" with that, he threw his head up as though preparing to howl and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Cream the Rabbit is a dirty rotten _li-ar!" _

"Hey!" the meercat snapped, and Cream's hopes soared. Maybe this guy believed her… "You know what? She can pretend all she wants! It's a free country!"

Just like that, her bubble burst. No matter how honorable his intentions were, he didn't believe her. No one did. The Dog caught the familiar sparkle in her eyes and laughed even harder. "More than that, she's a _crybaby! _Ha ha! Where's your heroes now? Huh?"

Somehow, through her tears of loneliness and humiliation, her eyes locked on a blur just behind the gate leading to the play area. And just like that, the Dog's taunts didn't mean a thing. Neither did the meercat and monkey's disbelief. And a very, very mean plan began to take place.

"Oh, _Miss Amy!_" she cried, slightly exaggerating the name. Immediately, the other three sapients whirled around to see what she was staring at. And, sure enough, Amy was just now unhooking the gate and heading in.

"_Miss Amy!" _She squealed again, running around the children to leap into Amy's arms. "Miss Amy, I missed you so—oo much! How long has it been?"

Amy laughed, oblivious to the argument that had taken place just a few moments ago. "I played house with you just the other day, remember?" This was followed by a gasp from the other children, amazed.

Cream buried her face into Amy's dress even further to hide her triumphant grin. It was working out even better than she had hoped. "I know, Miss Amy. I just miss you."

Amy smiled and finished hugging her best friend. "Well, I hope you miss all the gang, because there's a meeting at Sonic's house." Another gasp from the three sapients rose up and was ignored. It seemed all they could do was stare astounded at this girl, one of them, who was carrying on a perfect conversation with this…this…famous person. It almost blew their minds.

But Cream wasn't finished yet. "Does this mean we'll all have to save the world from Doctor Eggman again?"

"I'm not sure Cream, but we won't know until we get there."

"If we do, will you guys need me?"

Amy affectionately ruffled her adopted sister's head. "Of course, silly! We couldn't do it without you!"

This time the trio was simply too awed to even gasp. Smiling, Cream held up her hands. "Carry me?"

"Sure," Amy answered, hoisting Cream onto her back piggyback style. As the two dashed out the gate, Cream turned around and looked at her former tormentors, then quickly stuck her tongue out and in again before anyone could spot her doing such an unladylike thing.

* * *

When the rapid beeping started in Tails' workshop, it took the fox by surprise and he immediately jerked up to look for the watch.

Unfortunately, he forgot his head was under the body of the X-Tornado at the moment, so rather than being able to jump up and grab it, he instead banged his head against the bottom of the plane. Grabbing his head and mumbling a few angry words under his breath, he crawled out from under the plane, then looked around to search for it. He had taken it off while working so that it wouldn't get oily, a fact he did not plan on telling anyone else after so many lectures on keeping it on at all times in case of emergency.

Aha! Spotting it on a nearby table, Tails hurried over to it to press the button. Unfortunately, he forgot the wing of the plane was in between him and the table, so he instead smashed his belly up against it. Getting up again and muttering a few more angry words, he walked around the wing and grabbed the device. After reading the brief message, he strapped it around his wrist and turned back to the plane. The modifications he was making weren't going to affect flight, so he should be able to take the plane there in case it was needed.

He used his twin tails to propel him up, jumping up to the edge of the wing so he could grab open the cockpit and climb in. Unfortunately, he forgot he had just waxed the wings, so he instead slid right off the edge of the wing and fell back on the ground. This time, he couldn't even bother thinking of some angry words, and instead flew up straight into the cockpit so he could get in.

A few minutes after takeoff, Tails suddenly addressed his machine.

"Computer?"

"Yes, Tails?" A female voice chirped back at him.

"What is today's date?" He asked.

"Today is the 20th of August, Tails." It responded.

"Funny." Tails replied, shaking his head. "I could have sworn it was the 13th."

* * *

Eggman set down the newspaper he had been reading, unable to find anything of interest. It was extremely dull and quiet just waiting for the others to arrive. Knuckles was busy eating Sonic's entire stock of grapes, and Sonic was doing the dishes. His back was turned to him, but the Doctor could see he was still watching his reflection in the mirror.

The whole scene almost seemed strange to him, and for a moment he wondered why. Then he got it. The entire house felt like it could belong to anyone. Glancing around the room, he tried to find any piece of evidence this was the home of the world-renowned hero…and got nothing. The entire place felt anonymous, as if it had yet to realize it housed one of the most influential teens in the world.

He propelled himself up and out of his chair, searching the room partially out of boredom, and partially curiosity. Glancing at the books stacked on the shelf, he saw a number of different genres stacked in seemingly no particular order. In addition to Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_ (he couldn't help blinking in confusion at this, he hadn't thought Sonic was the kind to be interested in Shakespeare), there was also _Lycanthropy and You: a guide to surviving the beast within_, and _I'm a werewolf, now what?, _as well as several fantasy titles such as _Hydrophobia _and _Kidnapped,_ both of which were by some author called Tia the cat.

Next to the collection of books, Doctor Eggman at last found the recognition he had been searching for, in the form of many framed pictures. Some he could tell were older just by looking at them, such as one featuring a noticeably younger Tails and Sonic, sitting on the wing of the X-Tornado (then just called the Tornado, he recalled) back when it was blue. Others, such as a photo of Sonic and Amy horsing around at what looked like one of those fundraiser car washes, had to be relatively new. There seemed to be everyone in the team in at least one of the photos. There was even one of Knuckles, looking uncomfortable, but with a shy smile on his face, as Sonic's arm rested across his shoulders. One pressed into the very back of the small collection caught his eye, and he carefully pulled it off of the shelf to look at it.

Unlike every other, which had him with at least one of his friends, this one was just Sonic. It was old, older than any of the others, and Eggman was even willing to wager it was from a time before he knew the hedgehog. The creature in the photo looked nothing like Sonic, save the blue that was still bold and vibrant even though the photo itself was yellowed with age. It looked nothing like the Sonic he knew, mostly because of the expression on his face. Blank, with just a trace of confusion, and eyes wide open, like it couldn't believe what it saw. Even though the hedgehog couldn't even be five in this photo, his face was solemn, as if the child already understood some deep, unfathomable mystery. Clutched tightly in the kit's arms was a doll. It was hard to make out what exactly it was, but it appeared to be some kind of rabbit with shapes at the ends of its ears.

An attention-seeking cough brought Eggman back to the present, turning to look at the 11-year-older version. "If you're done looking through all my personal stuff," Sonic began with more sarcasm than actual threat, "Amy, Cream, and Tails are here."

Eggman straightened up. "Excellent. Shall we get on with the briefing then?"

"Oh, I don't know." Sonic replied mockingly. "Maybe you'd like to draw this out even more? Make a huge deal out of it? Call the media? Do dinner? Order some pizza?"

Eggman's eyes flicked back to the photo one last time, the unsure, afraid four-year-old. He didn't reply and set the photo back gently, without knocking over a single frame. As Sonic turned away to lead the way to the couches, the human couldn't help but wonder if the kit still lived somewhere in all that cocky attitude, or if, like so much else in Sonic's life, it was simply left behind in a cloud of dust.

* * *

Rouge was _not _in a good mood. To start off, she had just run out of her favorite eye shadow, and had to use some cheap, department store makeup instead. Then, GUN had called her on the interface automatically installed in her high rise deluxe apartment suite. Which had admittedly been given to her on the condition that it was there, but still. Not only had GUN ordered that she leave for the headquarters _at earlier than eleven in the morning, _but she also had to leave under covert level three.

Which basically, meant that she would a. be going on a days-long mission, b. could not drive her brand-new custom designed purple hovercraft there, and c. would probably not have time to flirt with the GUN commander's fairly cute secretary boy, or his moderately hot son for that matter, either.

So grumbling all the way, she downed her 3rd cup of coffee as she forced herself into the skintight suit she loved so much she wore every day. The fact that it seemed even harder to get into than usual was just more icing on the cake for her. Growling and groaning, she finally managed to tug on the black stretchable material of the first layer. She allowed herself a short sigh of relief before turning to put on the white parts and other layers of her suit. The last thing to go on was her trademarked pink breastplate.

_With an emphasis on "breast," _Rouge couldn't help but think to herself as she admired herself in the mirror. It seemed that cheap makeup couldn't ruin such a perfect face after all…Then again, what could? Pacing in front of the glass a couple times to make sure she was perfect from every angle, and to make sure her swagger made her tail move to the side just so, she couldn't help but give herself a little wink, as if she were sharing a secret with a close friend. Which, in her opinion, she was her own closest friend.

She may very well have stood there admiring herself for quite some time if, as if it had some sort of consciousness, the machine beeped to remind her to get going. Rouge shot a death glare at the kitchen where it was installed, then reluctantly sauntered out.

She went ahead and grabbed yet another cup of coffee (she was a _bat, w_ere they out of their minds?), and, after remembering the fight it had been to get into her suit, grabbed a bottle of diet pills out of a cabinet and downed four. The bottle said she was only supposed to take two a day, but hey. What was the harm in giving herself a little more?

Now she checked around to make sure everything was locked or hidden. The police had warned people in her building not to leave their valuables lying around until they had apprehended the mysterious thief that was stealing from almost every home in the classy neighborhood. Rouge, mysteriously, hadn't been hit, but perhaps that was because she had a little sway with the thief in question.

After checking the Johnson's family heirloom was well hidden where a curious maid couldn't find it, she unlatched the window in the main room, opened it up, and, in one quick movement, leaped out.

For a split second, she was in free fall, then she unfurled her wings. She never forgot her flight coach's instructions. _Remember, Rouge, _she had said. _You're a bat. Don't flap, snap._

_Snap _went her wings, cracking like a whip as the leathery skin filled with air. _Snap, snap, snap, _and she was defying gravity, adjusting her flight pattern slightly so that a tall apartment building shaded her view of the sun. _Don't flap, snap. _She couldn't flap her wings gracefully like a bird – her wings weren't designed for that. They were designed to snap, to give as much lift as possible with as little energy as possible. Sure, she couldn't float or glide elegantly like the bird sapients she knew, but she liked her wings. Practical and efficient, they were made to get the job done. Just like her.

In seemingly no time at all, she was heading into GUN HQ, a tall dull grey building, that, despite being in a district full of tall dull grey buildings, somehow managed to be even duller and greyer in the eyes of all who entered.

Strutting past the front desk, Rouge took out her key card and used it to activate an elevator beyond that, unlike most elevators in the building, went to every floor. Getting off at the sixtieth floor (or something like that), she brightened up considerably, stepping out with a haughty swagger. Leaning over the edge of the desk, she rested her elbows and laid her chin in her wrists. The secretary on whom she had been doting earlier looked up, annoyed by a shadow blocking his view, and stopped abruptly, his mouth still open despite his complaint having died on his tongue.

Rouge winked. "Hey, handsome."

The secretary roused himself somewhat. "Why-ah, M-miss Rouge! There you are. The commander wants to see you right away in his…office…" The poor man was hopelessly flustered. Rouge seemed to have that effect on a lot of men.

She nodded. "Then I guess I better go see what he wants," She answered, eyelids lowered seductively.

"Um…" The young man was sweating, trying to come up with an appropriate comeback without getting him in trouble with Rouge or his boss, when the door behind him swung open.

"If you're quite done there, Agent Rouge, you may want to consider coming in. You need to be briefed. Fast." The commander spoke in his usual monotone.

Rouge pulled away from the desk, placing a hand on her cocked hip. "My, you're in a wonderful mood this morning. What's the big hurry?"

The commander's jaw tightened infinitesimally. Hardly the only change of expression he ever seemed to show. "The _big hurry, _Agent, is that as we speak, your time is growing shorter and shorter. I need to give you your assignment in private, and then you need to get your skinny little butt over to where you need to be."

"Humph." Rouge answered, a trait she'd acquired from Shadow, no doubt. Then second they were in the commander's soundproof briefing room, he whirled around and began immediately, not wasting a second.

"Agent Rouge, at approximately 9:27 in the A.M. this morning, the eggmobile headed out and landed near Sonic's house. Sightings confirm Doctor Eggman has entered the residence and has not yet left."

"And the second Sonic catches Eggman in his house, he'll kick his butt and send him on his way with a few bruises to show for it." Rouge answered disinterestedly.

The commander shook his head, tightening his jaw again. "Our spies confirmed Eggman did not force his way into the residence. Sonic let him in."

Rouge raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"Around four minutes later, a signal went out." A screen on the commander's desk popped up automatically, showing the phrase _Emergency meeting, Sonic _on them.

"That's it?" She asked.

"That's it? This entire thing is rotten to the core. Why is Eggman at Sonic's house? Why did one of them send out that signal? Why didn't – As you so eloquently put it – Sonic kick Eggman's butt and send him on his way? This is what we need you to find out." He placed his hands on both edges of the desk, leaning over it slightly. "You need to find out everything you possibly can. And don't just watch Eggman. Keep tabs on the both of them."

"What?" Rouge rolled her eyes. "You still don't trust Sonic after all he's done for the city?"

The commander turned away to look out the window, a six-hundred-foot view of the city. "Sonic has risked his life for thousands of strangers time and time again, Rouge." He said softly. "No one does that for no reason. No one. 30 years of espionage has taught me everyone has something to hide. Sonic just hides it better than everyone else." He straightened up, snapping out of his trance. "You have your orders, Agent Rouge. Go."


End file.
